25 Years of KB Advisory Group

January 9, 2026

This year marks 25 years since the founding of what is now KB Advisory Group.

The firm’s roots reach back to post-Olympic Atlanta. Before founding the firm, Ken Bleakly served as president of COPA, Inc., a nonprofit development entity formed by Central Atlanta Progress to advance redevelopment around Centennial Olympic Park. That work focused on implementation: real estate economics, public finance, and the practical challenge of moving projects from concept to reality. It shaped a way of thinking that would carry forward into a consulting firm.

In 2001, less than two months after September 11, Ken founded Bleakly Advisory Group. The firm began in a spare bedroom, with its first office at the Prado in Sandy Springs. From the outset, the work centered on feasibility, value capture, and helping public and private clients make clear-eyed decisions about redevelopment. Many early projects predate widespread digital archiving, but they really did happen, and they established a reputation built on credibility and insightful analysis.

By the mid-2000s, the firm was playing a visible role in Georgia’s redevelopment landscape. Between roughly 2006 and 2017, Bleakly Advisory Group grew alongside the expanded use of Tax Allocation Districts and other redevelopment tools. For example, we wrote many of the City of Atlanta’s TAD Redevelopment Plans. During that period, the firm became known for translating complex financial structures into analysis that elected officials, staff, and development partners could coalesce around.

The work expanded geographically but remained rooted in market realities and fiscal responsibility.

In 2017, I acquired the firm. The goal was continuity rather than reinvention. We built on the strong foundation while broadening our market analysis capabilities and expanding our advisory role, particularly in housing, economic development, and implementation strategy.

The pandemic marked another turning point. As work patterns shifted, we moved our office to Midtown Atlanta and formally adopted the name KB Advisory Group. Remote work forced clarity in how we operate and collaborate, and it allowed us to support even more communities beyond our physical footprint. That period reshaped our internal systems and reinforced a culture based on trust and analytical rigor.

Today, KB Advisory Group still operates out of Midtown Atlanta, although in a different building, and still provides quality consulting for public and private clients across Georgia and beyond. The name has changed, offices have moved, and the questions facing cities have evolved. What has remained consistent is our commitment to clear analysis that powers our practical judgment, which reinforces the advice to our clients so that it holds up over time.

We are grateful to the clients, partners, and colleagues who have trusted us over the past 25 years. We look forward to continuing the work.

I’ll chime in again soon with some thoughts on the future.

Thanks for reading.

Happy New Year!

Geoff Koski
President & Owner
KB Advisory Group
geoff@kbagroup.com
www.kbagroup.com